Semitrailer body construction



June 23, 1936. H. H. ROBINSON El AL SEMITRAILER BODY CONSTRUCTION Filed April 26, 1934 i 3 SheetsSheet 1 7141 TTORNEYS June 23, 1936.

H. H. ROBINSON ET AL SEMI'IRAILER BODY CONSTRUCTION- Filed April 26, 1954 3 SheetsSheet 2 INVENTOR 4 1554mm lfloa/wm M0 BY Mzz/M ffi/P/P/J/l 7/141 TTORNEYS June 23, 1936. QRQ-BINSQN 5 AL 2,045,166

SEMITRAILER BODY CONSTRUCTION Filed April 26, 1934 3 ShSG \2S-Sh66t 5 TORNEYS Patented June 23, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SEMITRAILER BODY CONSTRUCTION Harold'li. Robinson, Coral Gables, Fla., and William J. Parrish, Detroit, Mich., assignors to Curtiss Aerocar Company, Inc., Coral Gables, Fla, a corporation oi Florida Application April 26, 1934, Serial No. 122,448

1 Claim.

This invention relates to automobile trailers of the type known as semi-trailers, in which the shall distribute and sustain the load and operating stress in an efllcient manner and at the same time permit forward vision through unobstructed window openings without sacrifice of structural I strength.

Other and further objects residing in the de- '4 tail of the structural members will be apparentby wood screws I9. The inner member 31) is set from the following specification and claim.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate one embodiment of the invention:

Fig. 1 is a side view of a' semi-trailer con-' structed according to the invention, the body covering being removed to show the framing;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the structure, shown in Fig. 1, the top framing being partially broken away to show the floor structure;

Fig. 3 is a side view of the nose casting;

Fig. 4 is a rear view of the structure of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the. structure of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view substantially on line 66 of Fig. 3;

Fig. '7 is a fragmentary perspective view of the nose assembly;

Fig. 8 is a detail perspective view showing the manner of connecting the chord members;

Fig. 9 is a vertical sectional view of the con nections of Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is a perspective view showing the connection of the foremost post member with the lower chord members;

Fig. 11 is a detail view partly in section showing the connection of the intermediate chord to modified 'floor structure; and

Fig. 13 is a plan view of the structure shown in Fig. 12.

Referring to the drawings, the both frame is shown in the form of a box-like girder, the sides of which are formed by trusses each comprising an upper chord I, a lower chord 2 and an intermediate or belt chord 3, the latter acting as the major upper stress member of the truss as will later be more fully, pointed out. Spaced vertical post members 6 connect the three chord members. The post members 6 as best shown in Figs. 8 and 9 are continuous between the upper and lower chords and as there shown are mortised a short distance into the upper chord as at I and are further connected to the chord by means of T-shaped plates 9 set into aligned kerfs formed in the chord and the end'of the post. Bolts ill secure the plates 9 in position in the manner' disclosed in co-pending application Serial No. 602,754, filed April 2, 1932.

The connection of the lower end of posts 6 to lower chord 2 is made by means of gusset plates l2, fitted in aligned kerfs formed in the members, and held therein by bolts It in accordance with the practice described in detail in the above mentioned co-pending application. Web portions l5 of plates l2 are drilled as at I6 to receive one end of wires H which form the tension mem bers of the truss.

The belt chords 3 are formed of two parallel members 3a and 3b. The outer member 3a is secured directly to the outer 'faces of the post 6 into mortises 20 cut in the inner faces of the post. 6. Downwardly extending saw kerfs 2| are provided at the inner edges of the lower faces of the mortises to receive gusset plates 22. The gusset plates 22 extend beyond the sides of the posts 6 and the upper edges of the plates are bent over as at 23 to engage the upper edge of the chord member 3b.- Bolts 24 secure the plates 22 to the members 31) and the assembly is held in the mortise by a plate 26 secured to the post 6 by bolts 21. The plates 22 are drilled at 23 to receive one end of the wire tension members II.

The upper chords of the respective trusses are converged beyond the foremost posts 6a and are connected to a metallic frame 30 later described.

The intermediate or-belt chords 3 similarly converge beyond posts to and are also secured to the frame 30. Theportions 3c of chords3 betweenposts 6a and frame 30 are in the form of a single member as best shown in Figs. 7 and 11. As shown in the latter figure, the forward ends of members 30. and 3b are mortised into the post 6a and provided with a gusset plate 31 bent around the forward end of member 3b and bolted directly to the post 6a by means of a bolt 32. Member 30 is mortised into post Go as at 33 and secured in position in any suitable manner as by toe-nailing at 34.

Lower chords 2 are each connected to their plates also serve to secure the upwardly curved,

bent to accommodate the converging direction of these members.

The forwardends of members in are connected together in a coupling pin assembly substantially like that shown in co-pending application Serial No. 663,947, filed April 1, 1933 to which application reference is made for the details of this connection. It is sufficient here to point out that the forward ends of members 2a are brought together at the coupling post or pin 45 to which they are secured by means of a formed plate 46 bent around pin 45 and having top flanges 41 engaging the upper faces of members 2a and inwardly struck flanges 48 engaging the under face of said members.

The frame 30 to which the chord members I and 3c are secured, presents the form of a rearwardly inclined inverted triangle, the apex of which is positioned at the upper end of the coupling pin and an aperture formed in the frame at 50 receives the upper end of the coupling pin which is reduced in diameter as indicated at 5i. Diverging angular flanges 53 are formed adjacent the apex of the frame to receive the ends of chord members 30. Bolts 55 secure the ends of members 3c to the flanges 53 and and bolts 56 passing through the members 30, flanges 41 and member 2a rigidly connect frame 20-, and the chords connected thereto to the coupling structure.

Angular extensions 51 formed at the upper corners of frame 30 are bolted as at 58 to the ends of chords l. The side members of frame III, the adjacent short posts 59 and those portions of the chords I and 2c and post 6a, which frame the window openings in the nose portion of the vehicle, are provided with grooves 60 for the reception of window glass, as indicated in dotted lines at 66.

At the rear portion of the vehicle the lower chords 2 are interrupted as shown in Fig. 2 to form wheel wells A, inwardly ofiset frames 6i serving to transmit the stresses set up in the lower chords to the rear posts 82 of the trusses. The rear post 62 extends only a short way above the belt chord I where it Joins and is mortised into a forwardly inclined strut 64 which is secured to the lower cho'rd 2 and belt chord 3 in the same manner as are posts 6. The upper end of strut 4 is connected to the upper chord I by a short inclined member 85. As will be clear from Fig. 1 post $2 and strut 64 form in effect a triangular abutment at the rear of the truss and that member 59 and the side of frame 30 together with the intervening portion of the intermediate chord, form a similar abutment at the forward end of the truss. The upper chord I extends between these abutments, supported at intermediate points by the posts 6. The traction stresses are in the main taken by the lower truss structure; the fact that the posts 8 are continuous to the upper chord I together with the end construction above noted results, however, in the stresses being reflected and distributed through the upper portion of the vehicle in a uniform manner so that shearing properly tensioning the rods.

stresses at the belt line are avoided and unobstructed window openings are provided at the nose portion and along the sides of the vehicle without weakening the frame as a whole.

Spaced roof bows 61 are secured to the chords I and struts 64 in any suitable manner, and the lower chords 2 are connected by spaced transverse floor beams 88.

In Figs. 12 and 13 is shown a modified floor structure for use where heavy duty is required. Reference characters Iii designate a pair of truss rods which extend substantially the full length of the floor frame. These truss rods pass through openings formed in the rearmost floor beam, the extending e'nds being provided with retaining nuts II. At their forward ends rods 10 pass through openings formed in metal castings 2 which secure the joint between the lower chord I3, foremost post I4 and upwardly curving chord extension [5. Nuts 16 hold the rods in the castings 12 and turnbuckles 11 provide means for The truss rods are positioned diagonally of the floor structure in order to clear the wheel well and are held in vertically bowed relation by brackets 18 secured to 2 the floor beams in any suitable manner. By properly tensioning the rods the floor frame may be bowed slightly upwardly if desired. Where truss rods III pass in proximity to the wheel axle 19, interference is avoided by using a drop axle wherein the central portion of the axle is below the center of the wheels. In disposing the truss rods Ill diagonally the points of rear attachment to the frame are brought relatively close together and, to provide adequate bracing against compression, aligned spaces are fixed between the floor beams BI, substantially parallel to and inside the truss rods 10.

We claim:-

The body frame for a semi-trailer vehicle which comprises spaced, vertical side trusses each truss having upper, lower, and intermediate chords, spacedvertical post members, connected at their upper and lower ends to the upper and lower chords respectively and, at a point intermediate their ends, to the intermediate chord, to form upper and lower truss panels, diagonally arranged wire tension members secured in the lower truss panels, the forward portions of the intermediate chords of the trusses being converged toward each other in a substantially horizontal plane, the forward portions of the upper and lower chords being respectively downwardly and upwardly converged and means for connecting the forward ends of said chords together comprising an open frame having the form of a rearwardly inclined inverted triangle, forming an unobstructed window opening, vertical members connecting the upper and intermediate chords of the trusses closely adjacent the meeting point of the upper chords and said frame, said members cooperating with the sides of the triangular frame and the intervening portion of the intermediate chords to form triangular abutments at the forward end of the trusses, and a forwardly inclined strut at the rear of each truss connected intermediate its ends with the rearmost truss post to form with said rearmost truss post and the intervening portion 01 the lower chord, a triangular abutment at the rear end of each truss, the upper chord of the trusses being restrained between said forward and rear abutments.

HAROLD H. ROBINSON.

WILLIAM J. PARRISH. 1 

